Question

the scatter plot below shows data relative to a companys revenue and time. which of the following functions would best model this
revenue & time
revenue billions of dollars
years after 2000
a. linear
b. exponential
c. square root
d. quadratic

Explanation:

• A linear function would show a straight - line pattern (constant rate of change). The scatter - plot does not show a straight - line trend.
• An exponential function has a rapid increase or decrease (multiplicative rate of change), which is not the case here.
• A square - root function has a specific, non - symmetric increasing trend that does not match the scatter - plot.
• A quadratic function has a parabolic shape. If we consider the general U - like or inverted U - like shape (in this case, it seems to have a minimum - like point in the middle), a quadratic function \(y = ax^{2}+bx + c\) (where \(a

eq0\)) can model the data points better as it can account for the change in direction of the trend (up - down - up or down - up - down).

Answer:

D. quadratic